[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/IgKDIvM.png[/img]
[color=lightseagreen][sub][b]Haruno Clan Compound, Konohagakure[/b]
Present day, crack of dawn[/sub][/color][/center]
[indent][quote][color=seagreen][i][sub]A faint clap of thunder
Clouded skies
Perhaps rain comes
If so, will you stay here with me?[/sub][/i][/color][/quote]
With the brush left the rice paper with one last firm stroke, Haruno Ren set it down at the edge of the inkstone and picked up the tanka. Hmm, seemed satisfactory to his scrutinizing eyes, but his even stricter mother wouldn't miss one chance to nitpick at him for some shits and giggles. He had no resentment towards Kazuha -- rather, he only had respect and love for her, even if she was nowhere proper enough to be considered a [i]Yamato Nadeshiko[/i] in the eyes of those outside the clan. Not like the woman herself cared, as long as people knew to keep themselves away from her insane punches powerful enough to send anyone flying... with broken ribs in the process.

Ater stuffing the poem into his commonplace book, he stood up and stretched his arms, his small, lean body casting a long shadow across his room from the first crack of sunlight bursting forth from the horizon beyond the door. The sign to the start of a new day.

The day he would graduate from the ninja academy in the village.

The rain had eased up as he left his room, only a faint drizzle against the rising sun and clearing sky could be seen. He passed by some of the clan members along the way, but he didn't really pay attention to who they were; he was more curious about why they seemed to be dashing around in a frenzy.

Did his inauguration as a Genin deserve any complicated preparation work for the house?

Shaking his head, he continued his way to the main hall, pushing his notebook deeper into the pouch on his left thigh.

[hr][center][img]http://img.mp.itc.cn/upload/20160831/53d81c85067d40969420c927d8cbcc59_th.jpg[/img][/center][hr]
His parents were already waiting for his arrival. Hideki was in his usual black kimono-ish garment, with a white sleeveless haori over the garb, showing the Haruno clan's emblem on the back. Kazuha, however, was decked in soft pink that complemented well with her hair, carefully arranged with peony hairpieces to hold her wavy locks in their place. She was smiling too, her radiating beauty further enhanced by how oddly prim and proper she was carrying herself. Ren couldn't help raising an eyebrow at how his mother was today, even if that act wasn't really something out of the ordinary.

Anyone would, if they knew the kind of person Kazuha was under that seemingly perfect facade.

Aside from his parents, even the branch family was here. Naoki was the splitting image of his older twin brother, except that he had chosen to take an opposite approach to Hideki's serious stance. He was still in a loose yukata, the short black mop on his head was wild as ever; he seemed barely awake, obviously been woken up and forced to show up here, much to his reluctance. Next to him was his youngest daughter -- Ren's little cousin -- Aoi, who had only inherited her father's appearance, and thankfully not his laziness. Ren couldn't help wondering why Aoi was in full shinobi gear...

[color=seagreen][i]Oh yeah, Aoi's going to start the path I took almost three years ago.[/i][/color] Now all the chaos so early this morning in the compound began to make some sense.

[color=silver]"Son,"[/color] Hideki started off once Ren had kneeled down before him. [color=silver]"First of all: congratulations on your graduation from the academy."[/color]

A pause. Ren didn't dare to raise his head, waiting for his father to go on, but the silence was interrupted by the sound of clapping that came from the side. [color=seagreen][i]Must be Aoi.[/i][/color] She stopped at the stern look from her uncle, and scuttered to hide behind Naoki's back.

With the small distraction out of the way, Hideki continued in his usual no-nonsense tone, [color=silver]"You are now officially a shinobi of Konohagakure, with the duty to protect the village. You will be assigned to a team and placed under the guidance of a [i]jonin sensei[/i], where you will learn to put whatever you have learned in the academy to practical use."[/color]

There was a shuffling noise from Aoi as she finally appeared from behind her father, moving back to her original position. Hideki paid no attention to it; he continued on, finishing up what he had to say, [color=silver]"You will be on your own most of the time, only with your sensei and teammates, but regardless of where you are or what would happen, always remember that your family is by your side, within you."[/color]

Hideki then stepped forward, placing a package before a surprised Ren. [color=silver]"Take this with you, and best wishes to your future endeavors. Now off you go -- I believe you need to attend some form of ceremony in the academy for your official promotion to genin."[/color]

[color=seagreen]"...Thank you, Father."[/color]

And if getting a pep talk from his austere father wasn't enough, cue in Kazuha fussing over her precious son right after they were dismissed from the main hall. The way her eyes shone when they set sight on Ren's small -- but growing -- frame could well translate his mother's feelings towards him, her pride and joy to see how much her son had grown over the past three years.

She did the most motherly thing she could do: giving Ren a fierce hug that was close to suffocating the poor boy thanks to her insane strength. [color=silver]"Ren!"[/color] Her voice was muffled by how her face was buried into his shoulder. [color=silver]"I know your father has already given you the bor-- I mean important talk, but I still want to say this again, to you in person: congrats on your graduation!"[/color]

[color=seagreen]"T-Thank you, Mother,"[/color] Ren could only gasp out the reply. [color=seagreen]"...And you're hurting me."[/color] In which Kazuha returned with a slap on his back -- that made Ren's shoulder stung from the painful impact.

Kazuha gave Ren a long, thoughtful look. Ren could see in her eyes that there was so much she probably wanted to say to him... But his mother chose to end the staring contest with an inaudible sigh, and said, [color=silver]"Off you go, then."[/color] She tried to send her son off with a smile, though it didn't hide the hint of sadness on her face.

[color=seagreen][i]This... is it.[/i][/color] Exhaling slowly, Ren turned to leave the Haruno compound, hopping onto the rooftops as he dashed towards the academy through the drizzle.[/indent]
[hr][center][color=lightseagreen][sub][b]Shinobi Academy, Konohagakure[/b][/sub][/color][/center]
[indent]Ren knew he was running late. He had taken a detour to the main gate to leave the village, only to be disappointed that his cousin Sumire -- Aoi's older sister -- was still not back from her assignment. He was never told much about what Sumire was up to, just enough snippets to know that it was some clan-related issue... and one that didn't sit well with the Haruno household.

[color=seagreen][i]I hope she's alright.[/i][/color]

For now, he should focus on getting to the academy for the graduation in time. Or rather, he should be paying more attention to where he was landing.

He did manage to reach his destination just in time, but he had unknowingly crashed into the middle of a certain group of students. Seeing familiar faces around him made Ren raise an eyebrow as he greeted them.

[color=seagreen]"...Oh. Morning, Hatake-san, Kegawa-chan."[/color]

Then he turned his head to the other side, the amusement becoming prominent as he noticed who the other two were.

[color=seagreen]"Ah, Uchiha-san and Namikaze-san. Good morning to you too."[/color]

All the while completely oblivious to the sparks of tension flying off between these two older peers from well-known major clans.[/indent]